After months of speculation, Martin Skrtel has finally ended the question marks over where his future lies by signing a new contract at Liverpool.

Although the summer additions of the likes of Roberto Firmino and a host of others will have the Kop excited ahead of 2015-16, the burly defender’s commitment to the Merseyside club is just as critical, if not moreso.

Although not the most glamorous of players or as cultured on the ball as others around him, the Slovakian centre-half brings a steel to Brendan Rodgers’ rearguard that is absent without his presence.

Skrtel’s never-say-die attitude and imposing presence will also be key now that the Reds have been robbed of the talismanic figure that is Steven Gerrard.

Although Jordan Henderson is fully worthy of the captain’s armband for next season after Gerrard’s departure, had Skrtel been selected as the team’s new leader few could have complained.

The eastern European enforcer has been at the club since 2008 and is surely one of the first names on the Reds’ teamsheet when he is fit and available.

His contract renewal may not be as exciting as some of the other transfers at Anfield this summer, but his continued presence in the Liverpool team can only be a good thing for a team with Champions League ambitions.

Gareth McKnight

I am a freelance football journalist from Northern Ireland, currently living and working from Broome in Western Australia. After a degree in sports journalism from the University of Stirling in Scotland, I started in the online football world and have worked for leading websites and media outlets since. My knowledge and passion is based around the Premier League and European football, but I also have a soft spot for the Australian A-League.